Have you ever found yourself crying because of an ad? It is okay... You don’t have to answer out loud. Just know that you are not the only one. Some ads are really, really sad. Some marketers go out of their way to evoke true emotion through advertising. This is a little technique called sadvertising.
Every time marketers create an ad, there is a specific emotion they want to spark.
When an ad is funny or super positive, it is because the marketer wants you to associate that brand with a happy feeling.
Some ads are specifically designed to pull you in and leave you with a feeling of desire, making you desperately want whatever they are selling.
And then there are those ads that are so sad, you feel like you are going to cry. Those ads fall under the term sadvertising.
Grab some tissues and stop crying because Arika Möller from media update explains this marketing strategy.
What is sadvertising?
Sadvertising is a term used to describe any advertising that provokes emotion or ‘sadness’. It is also often referred to as emotional marketing since the main idea is to evoke an emotional response from your audience.
Why do marketers want to make people sad?
It is no secret that people can feel a little detached in the digital world we live in. By kindling strong emotions such as sadness or empathy, you can make people feel a connection to the ad and hopefully, the brand.
Most people don't form a connection to information and stats. They connect to stories that make them feel something.
When people feel these powerful emotions they are also more likely to act on them. When you are feeling happy, you are content and you don't have the need to do something about it.
When you feel sad you can have the urge to donate money to a cause or purchase something you didn't need — until you saw the ad for it.
We don't often think of feeling sad as a good or positive thing. In marketing though, sadness can be a truly powerful tool.
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*Image courtesy of Canva